From the outset, it should be said to viewers who would expect to see a classic biographical drama about Princess Diana that they are likely to be bitterly disappointed. In this regard, Spencer could not be more different from the series The Crown. The more exploded form favored by Pablo Larraín, supported by the – excellent – musical framework of Jonny Greenwood, will seduce, on the other hand, those who will agree to enter a work echoing the inner world of a woman trapped in one of the most difficult periods. most dramatic of his life.
Even before the appearance of the first image, we are also warned. Spencer is a “fable inspired by a real tragedy”. The setting in which the plot takes place is real, but the Chilean filmmaker, to whom we owe in particular No, Neruda and Jackie, offers a story of pure imagination, sometimes even bordering on surrealism. The screenplay, written by Steven Knight (Burnt, Allied), focuses on a period of three days, the time to evoke, thanks to a specific event (a Christmas party “in family”), the rituals surrounding the celebrations (culinary brigade, domestic staff, clothing, parties of hunting) and the conflicting relationship the Princess of Wales has with each of them. It’s a bit as if Pablo Larraín were borrowing the gaze of an entomologist wishing to study an unusual species in more depth.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ENTRACT FILMS
Kristen Stewart in Spencer, a movie directed by Pablo Larraín
During these three days, which take place in a sinister atmosphere, the inquisitive looks of the other members of the royal family and the straitjacket in which we want to keep her will soon have drawn Diana into mental areas of more concern. Only his young boys, Prince William and Prince Harry, manage to extricate him occasionally.
Kristen Stewart pulls herself wonderfully out of an impossible role, even if the work on the voice, the rhythm of the phrasing, the accent and the posture are at times less fluid. That said, the actress manages to perfectly translate the inner distress of a woman seeking to find her identity.
Spencer is playing in theaters in the original version, in a French version dubbed in Quebec and in an original version with French subtitles.
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Biographical drama
Spencer
Pablo Larraín
With Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Sally Hawkins
1 h 51